Grab a glass and take a seat — there are plenty of places to relax and take in beautiful views and delicious wines and meads from all over the world. As Texas vineyards begin their harvesting seasons, many community members will flock to the different area wineries to take part in annual harvest festivals welcoming guests to take part in one of the most vital processes in their production process. For those looking at finding area wineries or meaderies, our staff has done the hard work so you don’t have to! Take a look at our extensive list of wineries and meaderies available to visit in the Brazos Valley!
Threshold Vineyards
“We produce excellent, award winning Texas wines that have a story and a sense of place, and we offer a beautiful and scenic environment for you to enjoy with family and friends and a glass of wine,” says co-owner and vineyard manager Ben Jeter. ” We have a very relaxed atmosphere and want to turn you into a Texas wine drinker.”
Beginning first as a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm in 1989, Threshold Vineyards has had quite the journey from planting their first Blanc du Bois vines in 2010 to now operating a tasting room. As a family-operation, every member of the Jeter family plays a vital role in the sights, tastes and experience at the vineyard, all leading to an amazing experience for those who visit including four-legged friends.
Though wine offerings vary by season, Threshold currently has six wines on their menu including La Senorita, a Tempranillo/Grenache blend, La Madame, a Merlot/CabSauvignon blend and 2019 Sangiovese with two more slated to be released later this fall. And, in addition to wine, the family also makes peach jam from peaches grown right outside of the winery doors.
Guests can visit the Threshold Vineyards tasting room in Navasota for tastings, tours, lawn games and live music on Thursdays and Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
14615 County Road 318, Navasota
thresholdvineyards.com
(936) 225-3355
Perrine Winery
A twist from the traditional Texas wine, Perrine Winery has brought a taste of France to the area since 2011, beginning in a strip center on Harvey Road. Seeing a need for more room, the Perrine’s made the move to North Dowling Road and have since expanded their operations. As a large part of their business, the winery hosts many events including a third Saturday BBQ, special dinners and pairing experiences and pig roasts.
Being a small batch winery, there are only seven to 30 cases made for each batch. Currently, the winery has a large selection of over 35 wines with flavors including nine dry reds, five dry whites,12 fruit-infused wines, four dessert wines, a sweet white and a sweet red. They also offer other special drinks including a mead and wine freezes.
“We have oaked reds that are smooth and dry, while our white sare lightly oaked, smooth, dry, and crisp,” the Perrine’s say. “We use several different types of oak, sometimes on the same batch, to evolve the wines into unique flavor profiles.”
Community members can visit Perrine Winery in College Station on Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. for a taste of french-style wine and special events.
11405 N. Dowling Rd, Unit G, College Station
perrinewinery.com
(979) 703-1843
Messina Hof Winery
The oldest winery in the area, Messina Hof Winery began in 1977 as a partnership between Paul Vincent and Merrill Bonarrigo and a Texas A&M student, who was doing a study on wine grape feasibility in Texas. Though the family’s history with wine goes far beyond their stake in Bryan, beginning gover 200 years ago in Messina, Sicily.
Over the years, the Bonarrigo family has taken the wine industry by storm winning countless awards including being one of the first Texas wines to achieve a gold medal at AWC Vienna in 2017, the largest officially recognized wine competition in the world. Messina Hof’s current portfolio boasts over 75 wines with customer favorites including Sagrantino Reserva, Sparkling Almond, and GSM.
“The beautiful thing about our wine portfolio is that it is so extensive. We have dry whites, dry reds, rosés, sparkling, and dessert wines,” marketing manager Gina Graves. “We’ve crafted a portfolio to satisfy any wine lover. We want our guests to feel comfortable exploring the portfolio each time they visit and for them to experience truly exceptional Texas wine.”
Guests can head to the Messina Hof grounds in Bryan for wine tastings, tours and meals at its on site restaurant on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Mondays and Tuesdays from 3 to 8 p.m.
4545 Old Reliance Road, Bryan
messinahof.com
(979) 778-9463
Chapelton Vineyards
Lying directly in the center of the College Station and Houston areas, Chapelton Vineyards provides a break from the hustle and bustle of the nearby city life. Beginning first as a weekend getaway spot for attorney Kurt and Dr. Michelle Lyn, Chapelton Vineyards has grown into a place for community gatherings and weekend trips complete with a tasting room and rentable villas for all who wish to come in and take in the great outdoors.
Setting itself apart, Chapelton strives to promote wine education — from ground to glass — for guests of all walks of wine from the most avid experts to those who are new to the industry. The vineyard currently offers three premium wines including sparkling, white and red as well as 11 signature wines of different varieties and most recently their inaugural state wine: Blanc du Bois.
“Our wines are meant to serve every palette – both approachable to new wine drinkers and complex for seasoned wine aficionados,” general manager Allie Ferguson says. “Our varietals are selected from some of the best grape growing regions around the world to offer an expression of terroir – a sense of place.”
Guests can take part in the scenic windy road, tours and tastings with delicious food options and a relaxing environment, open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. in Washington.
14858 Whitman Road, Washington
chapeltonvineyards.com
(979) 330-7641
Bernhardt Winery
After retiring from teaching, Jerry and Jerri Bernhardt decided to give the fast growing wine industry a try, opening Bernhardt Winery in 2005. With over 20 acres of land filled with endless hills and valleys, the Plantersville winery produces over 10,000 gallons of wine each year at the Tuscany-style facility.
Bernhardt Winery produces wine representing three key regions including Texas wines with grapes grown from across the Lonestar state, American wines, which are grapes grow outside of Texas including California, Arkansas and Oklahoma, and Antiquity wines, which are made from grapes grown in the Thracian wine regions of Bulgaria and Greece. With such an assortment of grapes, the winery offers over different 20 flavors of wine with summertime favorites including Pinot Grigio and Dog Days Strawberry wine.
“Bernhardt offers a choice of pre-selected wine flights for customers to enjoy on the premises,” marketing and sales director Robyn Arcia says. “Flights are designed to provide customers a self-guided tour with corresponding tasting notes for each selection with options including sweet wines, dry wines, mixed wines and port flight dessert wines.”
Bernhardt Winery is open for guests on Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. featuring a variety of options for tasting, tours, special events with artisan markets every Saturday, live music and even a bed and breakfast every Sunday evening.
9043 County Road 204, Plantersville
bernhardtwinery.com
(936) 894-9829
Lonestar Meadery
Starting as a hobby, Lonestar Meadery got its start after owner homebrewer rBrandon Ross was encouraged by friends to share his mead with the masses. After calling on friends to help experiment twith larger batches and new flavors, the operation soon took over Brandon’s entire guest room and the hunt began for a new location, which soon presented itself as a 104-year-old building in Downtown Bryan.
“Every meadery has their own 'vibe' or aesthetic just as every bar does,” Brandon says. “We wanted the tasting room to have a tavern feel and I think we’ve accomplished that with our faux fireplace, hand-made live edge coffee tables and barrel chairs.”
Lonestar Meadery beverages are made with all Texas honey and locally growing ingredients, which are mostly purchased from The Farm Patch and the Brazos Valley Farmer’s Market. Meads rotate monthly and new flavors are released each month, typically on First Friday, with current customer favorites including the Surtr’s Sip, which is a semi-sweet lemon, ginger and jalapeno mead.
Guests can visit the meadery fortastings and great conversations about the mead-making process on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 10 p.m., Fridays from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 2 to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 8 p.m. Although they do not serve food, customers are encouraged to bring their own to pair with their mead experience.
216 North Bryan Avenue, Suite 100, Bryan
lsmeadery.com
(521) 710-5868
WildFlyer Mead Co.
With beekeeping as their first operation, WildFlyer Mead Company owners Jeff and Chelsea Murray decided they wanted to start a meadery in 2017 and began to look around many different cities and areas. The couple landed at BeeWeaver Bee Farm in Navasota and began producing mead in partnership with the bee farm in 2019.
“Being located on a bee farm allows us to offer an amazing, unique experience,” Chelsea says. “Our customers can come to our farm to see the bees, taste their honey, and finish with a wine made from that very same honey. The quality of ingredients that we use allow us to offer a premium product that is different from anything else in this area.”
With 26 flavors throughout the year, the meadery will always host 12 different flavors on tap at any given time. Since the meads are made from fresh fruit, flavor offerings depend on what’s in season at the time with customer favorites being Hot and Bothered, a jalapeno and lemon mead, Marooned, a blueberry and lemon mead and their Game of Thorns traditional mead.
Community members can visit the meadery on Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m., Fridays from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. for tastings and special events including Thursday night bingo, hosted once a quarter, and book club, hosted the second Thursday of every month.
16481 County Road 319, Navasota
wildflyermead.com
(936) 213-0450
En Gedi Vineyards and Winery
Beginning with their vineyard structure in 2012, En Gedi Vineyards has come far beyond the expectations of owners Patand Karen Hale. After their first wines all won awards, the Hales decided to open their online store and outdoor tasting room in Jones Prairie. Their vineyards, located in North Milam county along the Brazos River Valley are vital to the business’ background.
“We named our land after an oasis in Israel full of living water in the middle of a wilderness. We love to tell the story of En Gedi Vineyards and how God has worked His miracles through this process,” Karen says. “Building relationships and telling our story is why we are here!”
The winery currently has 11 wines available for purchase and tastings, including several wines made from Blanc Du Bois using native yeast from the vineyard, a Port Sullivan dessert wine, which was recently released after more than three years in fresh bourbon barrel sand infused wines like Texas Tornado and the Bluest Eyes of Texas.
Guests can visit the tasting room in Downtown Calvert for tastings, special events and to visit with the owners on Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m.
604 S. Main Street, Calvert
engedivineyardoftexas.com
(254) 265-9669
Texas Star Winery
On a quaint old stagecoach road in Chappell Hill, Texas lies a winery with estate grapes paired with a production space and tasting room. Texas Star Winery has been in the Brazos Valley since 2014 and is currently expanding its facility to include a tasting room quadruple its original size and a new event center.
With over 60 medals of excellence including Best of Class and many gold and silver medals, many from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Texas Star Winery has made a name for itself in the Lone Star State. The winery currently has over 20 wines to offer in a variety of red sand whites, dry, sweet, and fruit wines with customer favorites including 59 Delegates (Cabernet Sauvignon aged in whiskey barrels), an unoaked Chardonnay, and Prickly Pear Cactus wine.
“We have a separate line of cellared wines called Chisolm Cellars that are produced in the “old world style”, which is aged in barrels and bottled with minimal if any filtration giving a richer color, flavor, and mouth feel,” vintner Jim Chisolm says.
Community members can venture to Chappell Hill for tastings and special events on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The winery plans to begin tours in 2024.
10587 Old Chappell Hill Road, Chappell Hill
texasstarwinery.com
(979) 251-7282
Busted Oaks Cellars
Opening their winery on Valentine’s Day of 2020, the Cooke family decided it was time to share their little piece of heaven with those in the Brazos Valley and beyond. With being a family-run winery, Patrick and Sherrie, as well as their son Kevin, manage all operations from mining the vineyard to coordinating events and the tasting room.
“Everyone who comes to Busted Oak Cellars is family and we treat guests as so when they visit,” Sherrie says. “It has always been an escape place for our family and all major family functions are held here. We want our guests to come enjoy the fresh air and recharge and make new memories with those that they love.”
With over 25 wine options, guest can enjoy an array of wines including favorites like Southern Bell, a sweet white Pinot Grigio, Renegade Red, dry red blend, Shotguns and Decoys, a dry red blend made of Brunelo and Petit Syrah and Blanc du Bois, their estate wine.
For tastings, food and entertainment including live music, games and water sports, Busted Oak Cellars is open Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m., Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. and Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m. in Carmine. The winery also has four on-site cabins available for rent.
6195 Round Top Road, Carmine
bustedoakcellars.com
(281) 795-2588
